Soil contamination in the watercourses around Elim has reportedly been known since the 1990s, but no large-scale remediation has taken place. Possible contaminated groundwater in the Jeulenwijk raised new questions about the current risks.

Excavation work took place in the Jeulenwijk on Wednesday. The site was reportedly used decades ago to dump a car, along with rubble, household waste and other materials, and the digging uncovered what appeared to be part of a chassis.